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Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
eCourtMN (General)
eFiling and eService (General)
eFiling Acceptance/Rejection
File Date/Time Stamp
Billing/Accounting
Imaging
Evidence/Exhibits
External Access/Security
eCourtMN (General)
What is the scope of eCourtMN?
The scope of eCourtMN is inclusive of the components that are necessary to achieve the eCourtMN vision. This includes new court processes to handle and manage electronic records. It also includes implementing new technology for components such as eFiling and document storage, and, most importantly, it includes giving internal and external people the knowledge, skills, and tools that they need.
Does eCourtMN include building new data integrations with partners?
The vision for eCourtMN does include new electronic methods for our business partners to submit and receive information. Ongoing discussions with business partners will enable us to identify and prioritize new integrations.
Will our external partners be required to make changes?
External partners will be expected to file documents electronically with the court and access the court file electronically once the technology is available.
How will pro se litigants use the eCourtMN technologies? Will they be expected to eFile?
New development is underway to make it realistic for pro se litigants to fully participate, like attorneys, in eCourtMN technologies. Built-in guidance will enable pro se parties to complete forms, eFile, eServe, view documents, and pay fees with minimal help from court personnel. Existing pro se resources will be integrated with eFiling. Internet access for eFiling will be provided at the courthouse for persons lacking convenient access elsewhere.
eFiling and eService (General)
What credit cards are accepted to pay fees when submitting a filing electronically?
The State of Minnesota currently accepts MasterCard, Visa, and Discover debit and credit cards to pay fees when submitting a filing electronically. American Express is not accepted.
Will eFiling and eService be mandatory?
The Supreme Court has adopted civil rule recommendations, effective Sept. 1, 2012, establishing mandatory eFiling and eService for attorneys and government entities in the Second and Fourth judicial districts in all civil cases except conciliation and probate/mental health. No information is available at this time regarding mandatory eFiling and eService throughout the rest of the state.
The courts already charge filing fees. Will people have to pay an additional fee to file electronically?
There are new costs as a result of providing electronic capabilities, which the Judicial Branch will absorb initially. There may be a small user fee passed to the filers eventually. Currently, Tyler Technologies, our vendor, will charge a $5 credit card processing fee anytime a statutory file fee is paid. In addition, Tyler Technologies charges a $3 fee for the use of eService.
Do all attorneys involved in eFiled cases have to register for eService?
In Hennepin and Ramsey counties, the mandatory rules include eService. All attorneys will be required to sign up for and use eService for all family and civil court cases. In the pilot counties, it will be up to the attorneys to sign up for eService on a voluntary basis or as directed by the court.
Is there an option to perform a test filing?
The system does not contain a user option to test the submittal of a filing. You can submit a filing and monitor your filing queue to determine the status of the filing. The Judicial Branch has dedicated substantial resources to test and ensure a reliable and fully-functional platform. Please be assured that filing submittal and acceptance issues are a top support priority for the Branch and our vendor.
In Hennepin and Ramsey counties, there are many training options available, including a hands-on training in which filers will be able to file into a test environment. Training options are available on the Second and Fourth judicial districts' Websites and will be made available at the state level when other counties implement eFiling.
How long after eFiling does eService take place?
Service will not happen until the court has reviewed and accepted the filing. If it is filed late in the day, we cannot guarantee that it will be accepted that day. However, if service must be completed by a certain date, it is best to utilize “Service Only” for service, for then it will occur as soon as the document is uploaded. Then utilize “E-File Only” to send the document to the district court.
Can the parties eServe each other without submitting it to the court?
Attorneys can use the "Service Only" functionality to serve documents upon one another electronically without submitting those documents to the court for filing.
Will we implement the technology only on a day-forward basis and continue to operate with both paper and electronic files while we are in transition?
The reality of this transition is that until eFiling is mandatory per court rules and a viable pro se solution is in place, the courts will have to accommodate operating in both an electronic and paper world.
That said, a key objective of the pilots is to minimize the impact of this transition by assessing the costs of implementing technology on a day-forward basis versus incorporating measures such as back-scanning or implementing imaging ahead of eFiling to determine the best overall strategy for moving forward.
Is there a way to view all the pleadings in a case, not just the pleadings our firm has filed?
Currently, users are limited to viewing only the pleadings their firm has filed, but one can view all the pleadings in a case at the public terminals at a courthouse.
Is there a way to distinguish in the service list between attorneys and administrative assistants?
The Service list is broken down by parties, and anyone from a firm’s Service List may be attached to the party they are representing. It will be apparent which parties are signed up for eService by looking at the Service List. Any parties that do not have service contacts attached to them will need to be served by alternate means.
How can courtesy copies of filings be sent to certain people?
If you would like a person to receive an eMail notification that a filed document has been accepted by a district court, you can add their eMail address to the “Courtesy Copy” field on the Filings Tab when filing. You will have the option to send a “Courtesy Copy” for each document you are filing. Once the filing is accepted by the court, a notification eMail will be sent to the eMail address entered and will contain a link to a file stamped copy of the document. Please note that if a filing is rejected, the courtesy copy will not be sent.
Will other district courts have “Chat” capabilities on the Website like Ramsey County District Court does?
We expect this option to be considered in the long-term support model, but no decisions have been made at this time.
Does each pleading related to a motion (the notice of motion, the memorandum, the affidavit, and the proposed order) have to be filed separately?
Each identifiable document should be filed as separate filing codes within the same envelope. There is a recommended limit of 10 documents per envelope, but the limit may vary by size of the documents. The motion fee should be attached to the notice of motion and motion. If you are also eServing the documents, you would only pay one fee as long as you do so in the same envelope. The eService fee is per envelope, no matter the number of filings and service recipients.
What about letters that go directly to the judge via U.S. mail?
Correspondence may be eFiled. Letters that are sent to the judge are typically defined by local practices and the judge's preference. When/if a judge requests that a letter from a party be maintained in the case management system, the letter may be scanned and will be classified as "Public2" unless otherwise directed by the judge.
Where does conciliation court fall in the implementation schedule?
Conciliation cases are usually filed by pro se filers. Initially, we will not be implementing eFiling for pro ses. However, conciliation cases are included in the civil line of business implementation. Civil cases will be implemented first for pilot eFiling in July 2012.
What about court business that crosses state lines that may not be eCourt ready? How do we work with courts in other states?
Orders for a change of venue will likely be conducted as they are today and for the forseeable future. Certified copies issued in paper form will continue to be supplied to the receiving court.
For no contact orders and foreign judgments, the party will be responsible for providing documents to courts in all states involved, including Minnesota.
How many separate interfaces will court users have to access?
Attorney users will have to access only one interface. The eCourtMN initiative is currently working on a separate pro se interface for self-represented litigants only.
Will there be exceptions to the rules for extenuating circumstances? For example, if a party is in prison and wants to file, will they be required to eFile even though they have no access to the tools required to do so?
The chief judge or designee will make that determination based on the circumstances associated with the filing. In circumstances where access to the Internet is limited or prohibited, the court will have the discretion to accept paper filings.
What efficiencies will be gained if clerks still have to review incoming documents?
Efficiencies associated with eFiling should be viewed more holistically in terms of significantly reducing the court’s reliance on the paper file. Some tasks are expected to take longer, and others will be eliminated or reduced in time. The clerk’s role will be transformed from data entry to reviewing and processing tasks. Files will no longer have to be manually retrieved from records storage, as they will be able to be retrieved with the click of a mouse. Convenient access to file data and images will enable the clerk to more efficiently and effectively address case-related issues.
Will there be a function that allows the recall of a filed document from eFiling if a mistake has been made?
eFiled documents can be cancelled by the filer before review by the court clerk. Once in a review status and/or accepted by the court, the filing cannot be cancelled or recalled. The court does have the option of releasing the documents back to the filer after they are reviewed and before they are accepted. Court staff would contact the filer in the event a document is released for cancellation.
eFiling Acceptance/Rejection
What rules will court staff follow when determining whether a document is accepted or rejected?
eFiling rejection criteria has been established as 1) filed under the wrong case number; 2) filed in the wrong venue; or 3) insufficient filing fees submitted. The proposed Rules of Civil Procedure for eFiled documents provides that filings “may be rejected for filing if tendered without a required filing fee or a correct assigned file number, or are tendered to an administrator other than for the court where the action is pending.”
Will I receive an eMail when something I have eFiled has been accepted?
The system does contain the option for the filer to receive eMail notifications when a filing is successfully submitted, when the court accepts or rejects the filing, or if eService has failed.
Are eFilings reviewed by court personnel manually up to the time the court office closes, or is there an automated process for accepting/rejecting eFilings?
There is no automated review in place. There is also no guarantee that staff will be able to immediately process a filing submitted very late in the day. If the case is accepted the next work day, the filing date is the date submitted and could be considered timely if accepted. Any rejections would be made during the next court work day as well, in which case the original filing date will not be preserved.
If a filing is rejected, will there be an explanation as to why?
The rejection reason and any comments from the court reviewer will be located in the Filing Details of the envelope.
If a document is identified as having a “format error,” does the whole envelope get rejected?
If one document in an envelope cannot be submitted, it will cause the entire envelope to not be submitted. The status of the filings is immediately viewable to the filer, and the filer can opt to have a notification eMail sent if a submission fails. The filing details will identify the document that failed and the reason why. Then the envelope can be copied, the document replaced, and the filing resubmitted.
File Date/Time Stamp
What will be considered the file date when a document is eFiled, and how will it be time stamped?
The file date is attached at the time the document is submitted in the eFiling system. Once the filing is accepted by the court, this date/time is eStamped on the document. However, if the document is rejected by the court, the file stamp date will not be retained.
How will time stamping work if the eFiling system goes down?
If the eFiling system goes down for a period of time and filers are unable to submit filings, the ability to submit fax and paper filings may need to be reinstated. In these instances, the clerk would file stamp the document manually as of the date/time the fax was received or the filing was received in paper format over the counter or by mail. If the filer is able to eFile but then the system goes down and the clerks are unable to review and accept that filing for a period of time, the date/time that the filer submitted the document(s)/envelope would be maintained and stamped electronically on the document(s) when eventually accepted by the court.
Billing/Accounting
What credit cards are accepted to pay fees when submitting a filing electronically?
The State of Minnesota currently accepts MasterCard, Visa, and Discover debit and credit cards to pay fees when submitting a filing electronically. American Express is not accepted.
How do I create the Excel spreadsheet that contains the information for all the filings from our firm?
From the Filings tab, you will be able to download an Excel spreadsheet containing detailed information about submitted filings. Each user can download information about their own filings, and the firm’s administrator can choose to see the filings completed by all users in the firm. Use the filters on the Filings tab to find the filings you are interested in (filings by myself or my firm, status, location, date range) and then choose to Export. This will create the Excel spreadsheet you are looking for.
How do I get a receipt with all information on it for accounting purposes?
The Order ID is used as the soft descriptor to the credit card vendor. In addition, the “Export” feature captures the information that the user is asking for, and was designed for the purpose of helping the filer reconcile their billing.
Imaging
Will imaging go statewide?
Although imaging has been piloted and is in use in a small number of counties, a number of legal, business, process, and technical issues need to be addressed before it is ready for statewide deployment. If imaging is implemented prior to these items being in place, counties on imaging would need to retrain employees to adhere to statewide standards and potentially perform manual cleanup efforts. Additionally, if bandwidth is not adequate and quality assurance efforts are not in place, the result could be inconsistent and result in spotty performance, which could erode trust in the imaging system.
A key objective of the pilots is to determine if there are significant benefits to implementing imaging prior to eFiling. Both efforts require an investment in time and equipment, as well as a need for change. The question is whether or not it is better to go through this change once or twice. Another consideration is that imaging requires an investment in scanners that may not be needed once a county is eFiling.
Why is archival imaging outside the scope of eCourtMN?
The current eCourtMN scope includes active cases only so that staff and technical resources are focused on the most immediate needs. We also need to understand the technical impact of storing a large volume of documents. Eighty percent of the over 14 million cases in our case management syetm are inactive. It is understood that there is value in imaging documents of inactive cases, and this could be a part of a future eCourtMN effort.
Will these documents be safe from alteration by hackers?
Some of the security controls we have in place to secure data include: firewalls to maintain a secure interface, spam filters to block spam and unsolicited eMails, updated antivirus protection, and updating patches on servers and work stations. We are also looking at solutions for encrypting data being stored or transmitted.
Evidence/Exhibits
How will exhibits be handled in an electronic environment?
This is yet to be determined. The first issue to be explored will be the electronic transer of exhibits from the district courts to the appellate courts.
How will we store videos that are submitted as exhibits?
Videos cannot currently be submitted through or stored in the case management system. Videos must be submitted and stored in their original format until further development and rules allow them to be submitted and stored electronically.
External Access/Security
What controls are in place to restrict eFiling to authorized filers only?
eFilers must register in the system and are assigned a username and password by the law firm administrator. Sharing user names and passwords between users is discouraged.
Will there be a way to add a third party to the participant information in MNCIS?
The responsibility for adding participants to a case will remain with court staff and cannot be done through eFile and eServe. The filer does have the option to add an additional party to the case when they are submitting an initial filing into an existing case (e.g. filing a motion on behalf of a third party plaintiff).
How do I get my account unlocked if login was unsuccessful?
The user has the option to reset their password from the login screen. In addition, a firm administrator can unlock or reset the password for users in their firm.
Is it possible to make the document security default to "public," as most probably will be?
At this time, filers must choose the security level of each document filed. In future versions of the system, the default may become activated pending additional review and discussion.
How does the certification of electronic documents work?
The electronically-filed document is considered to be the original. Certified copies will only be issued in paper form at this time.
How will outside users see information compared to what is viewable to internal staff?
The method and extent to which information will be provided to various constituents will be a function of their role in the case and our data access policies which are currently under review. The exact channel for accessing the information (data exchange, interactive Web portal, or direct access to the application) will be determined by anticipated usage patterns, security requirements, and information channels available to us. We expect that both the policies and electronic delivery channel options will evolve over time.
Will documents filed in court cases be viewable over the Internet?
The Supreme Court will be reviewing the Rules of Public Access to Records of the Judicial Branch to determine which records will be viewable via the Internet.
Will there be a user fee for accessing the electronic court record?
At this point, it has not been determined what, if any, fees will be assessed for eCourtMN services. One possibility is that a fee would be assessed for remote online access to the court record, including document images. Any additional fees will require approval by the Legislature. That authority will be requested if it’s determined that additional revenue will be required to make the implementation of eCourtMN self-sustaining.